Aviation
Captain James Gallagher – Aviation Pioneer
A B-50 Superfortress aircraft, LUCKY LADY II, completed the first non-stop, round-the-world flight in history between 26 February and 2 March 1949.
The aircraft commander was U.S. Air Force Captain James Gallagher, who covered 23,451 miles in 94 hours and one minute, averaging 249 miles per hour.
Aerial refuelling was provided by B-29 tanker aircraft on four occasions:
- Over the Azores
- Arabia
- The Philippines
- Hawaii, which also served as a communications and emergency facility.
The importance of this flight is that, in a time of political turbelence post WW2 and on the lead up to the Korean War, it showed that nowhere was safe from airpower.
Further information on Captain James Gallagher, including details of his family origins, would be greatly appreciated.
Church Men & Women
Roman Catholic Bishops: See HERE
Methodist Ministers: See HERE
Business
The Gallagher Group
A Horse’s Itch Sparks a Global Gallagher Company
Thomas Gallagher left Ireland for New Zealand in 1847.In the early 1930’s Bill Gallagher, a descendant of his, was a farmer in New Zealand who liked to invent and develop things.
Around about then Joe, his horse, began to give Bill a problem. The horse had an itch and he soon discovered that the family car was just the thing to get rid of his itchy mites. This didn’t endear him to Bill and he decided that he would have to come up with a solution before the family car was ruined. He set up an electrical circuit using an ignition magneto that gave the horse an electric shock when he rocked the car. The horse didn’t like being used as an electrical conductor and instantly figured that he was better to hitch up his wagon and find an alternative scratching post.
Of course once Bill had got the horse to move away from the car he knew he had a winning idea on his hands. In 1938 he made a full time business with electric fences using battery power. Following a lead from America he developed a mains powered fence to keep stock fenced in, which worked very successfully until the authorities deemed it illegal and disconnected it. Propelled by the Gallagher commitment that motto on the coat of arms celebrates, Bill shrugged of this set-back. He developed a battery and coil version, which the business was, producing up until 1961 when the rules were changed and power fencing as we know it was born.
Since then Bill Gallagher’s business with his sons Bill Jr. and John has gone on to innovate and develop new products and systems to cater for the animal management and security markets. The company now has over 1000 employees world wide (650 in New Zealand ) and products in130 countries. Old Joe’s itch sparked the gem of an idea which by continuous innovation and commitment to quality has brought the Gallagher Group to the premier place in the global market for Agriculture and Security electric fencing.
24th January 2011
Sir William (Bill) Gallagher has been honoured by being made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year’s Honours List.
Bill Gallagher has decided to be known as Sir William after being knighted in the New Year’s Honours for services to business, having created a company that employs more than 1000 people from a “world headquarters” in Hamilton.
It is the third honour to be bestowed on the businessman with a reputation as a hands on manager at family-owned Gallagher Group. He received an MBE in 1987 and was made a member of New Zealand Order of Merit in 1998.
“It will be Sir William, I’ve already decided that,” he said. “The knighthood is a very high honour and it is very appreciated,” he said.
Note:We would make like to make a list of other Gallagher personalities and we ask your help. Please forward any information you have. Copies of any relevant material to add to our archive would be greatly appreciated.